From AV Club:

According to numerous sources, Jamaican singer and producer Sugar Minott has died at the age of 54. The cause of death has not been disclosed, although Minott had recently canceled shows in Canada after suffering from chest pains.

Minott (real name Lincoln Barrington Minott) got his start as part of the Sound Of Silence Keystone sound system spinning rocksteady and reggae tunes, then graduated to singing with The African Brothers in 1969. After releasing a series of singles in the early ‘70s, the group split, with Minott moving on to a successful solo career that was marked by his talent for crafting new songs to go over existing beats, a style that would prove to be very influential on the dancehall scene. Minott’s debut Live Loving for the Studio One label—which included songs like “Vanity” and “Mr. DC”—is considered a pioneering dancehall album.

Above is a video of Sugar Minott’s 1981 hit cover of Michael Jackson’s “Good Thing Going”, which can be found on YouTube HERE.  MNSKA would like to send our thoughts and condolences to Minott’s family.  He will be missed.

Colorado ska band Ska Skank Redemption receives “Genius” honors from The Onion’s A.V. Club‘s tongue-in-cheek list of the worst band names of the year.  This list is always good for a laugh as they poke fun at how ridiculous band names can be.

You can check out this year’s list HERE.

On the AV Club Twin Cities site this week, Jason Heller wrote a column about the endearing and lasting qualities of ska music.  The article is centered around the latest ska-punk bands due to the recent Reel Big Fish show.  Heller describes what it’s like at a ska show:

There’s no way to play it hip at a ska show. And that’s its inherent saving grace: You can only act so tough with a trombone shoved in your face. You can only stand there with your arms crossed for so long—with everyone skanking like maniacs around you—before you’re the one who looks like a dork.

You can read the rest of the article HERE.